As is well known, an internal combustion engine is a machine for converting heat energy into mechanical work. In an internal combustion engine, a fuel-air mixture that has been introduced into a combustion chamber is compressed as a piston slides within the chamber. A high voltage for ignition is applied to a spark plug installed in the combustion chamber to generate an electric spark to ignite the fuel-air mixture. The resulting combustion pushes the piston downwardly within the chamber, thereby producing a force that is convertible to a rotary output.
Such internal combustion engines have a variety of problems. First, because of the multitude of moving parts, such engines are costly to assemble. Further, because of the moving parts, such an engine is subjected to a shortened useful life due to frictional wear between the moving parts. Finally, because of the multiple parts, such an engine is heavy.
Thus, there exists an need for an internal combustion engine that not only produces a high power-to-weight ratio, but is also economical to manufacture, has a high degree of reliability and has less moving parts than reciprocating engines currently available.